About

$17,362

pledged of $15,000 goal

578

backers

BEAUTY /ˈbyo͞odē/ (n.): the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit.

Kelly & Claire, the editors of Dirty Diamonds, released this definition of BEAUTY when announcing the open call for submissions for the sixth issue of this theme-based anthology, and we gave comic creators one instruction:

"Run with it!"

And boy, did they. From feelings about bodies and hair, to surgery scars and extra nipples, to gut bacteria and gargoyles, this book is bursting with incredible comics by amazing women.

Dirty Diamonds, an all-girl comic anthology, features the "semi-autobiographical" work of female comic creators from around the world, focusing on a single theme for each issue. For this, our sixth issue, we, the editors, released an open call, seeking comics related to the theme of BEAUTY.

We've collected all of the completed comics, so now all we need is your help to make this book a reality!

The final product will be a perfect-bound, 8.5" x 11", 200 page book featuring a brilliant, gorgeous special guest cover by Carolyn Nowak.

Note: Mock-up of the finished book

Featuring over 50contributors and teams, we've effectively doubled the size of our last issue! Our baseline Kickstarter goal will fund the majority of the book's planned publication costs, along with the production and shipment of our rewards, covering the Kickstarter and credit card fees, as well as - most importantly - full compensation for our incredible contributors.

Note: Figures based on the initial Kickstarter goal's dollar amount and costs break-down.

With our stretch goals, we'll be able to fully fund the book's publication, increase the compensation we're providing our contributors, as well as finally provide you, our comic friends and colleagues, with a long sought-after collection from Dirty Diamonds. Read more about this and our stretch goals below...

Note: Final designs TBD - some will be announced during the campaign, so check back for updates!

While the book itself is a fantastic prize, we're happy to offer all of the DIRTY DIAMONDS swag your hearts could desire! Postcards, coozies, magnets, a selection of prints from artists in the book (which will be revealed throughout the campaign), even a T-SHIRT... along with the highly-anticipated, larger than life DIRTY DIAMONDS OMNIBUS.

Note: Mock-up of the finished book

...but not without our stretch goals and YOU!

Want to learn more about which rewards you get with each reward tier? Check out a comprehensive post on ourtumblr!

UPDATE: Here are four of the six splash page illustrations that will be featured throughout the book, by contributors Noni Garcia, Anna Krzton, Dre Grigoropol, and Sara Goetter! These are four of the six images you can select as a print in the $100 reward tierand above.

More to come!

Our baseline Kickstarter goal is enough to cover the costs for over half of our planned initial print run of 1,000 books, provide compensation for all of our artists (along with a free copy of the book), and produce/ship the rewards for our campaign contributors.
With our stretch goals, we are aiming to fully cover the publication costs, increase the payments to our contributors, and produce the DIRTY DIAMONDS Omnibus.

We will be able to unlock new rewards, increase payments to contributors, and fully cover our publication costs if we meet the following stretch goals:

$22,000: Fully cover the cost of publication for DIRTY DIAMONDS #6: Beauty, increase all contributor payments by $25 each, and cover 50% of the publication of the DIRTY DIAMONDS Omnibus.

$28,000: Increase all contributor payments by an additional $25 each, and cover 100% of the publication of the DIRTY DIAMONDS Omnibus. If we hit this goal, all backers above the PDF level will also receive an exclusive Dirty Diamonds Kickstarter bookmark!

$32,500: Increase all contributor payments by an additional $25 each, and help cover the cost of tabling fees that allow us to distribute the book to wider audiences.

$36,000: This is it - we'll increase all contributor payments once again by $25, and all costs associated with the campaign will be covered. This will also help us cover additional tabling and travel costs associated with book distribution. If we hit this goal, all backers above the PDF level will also receive a free set of Dirty Diamonds stickers! We will also cry.

Here are samples of some of the incredible comics to be featured in Dirty Diamonds #6: Beauty.

DIRTY DIAMONDS is edited and published by Kelly Phillips and Claire Folkman, drawing buds since the 7th grade. Holding down the fort on either end of Philadelphia, they have been the loving parents of the all-girl comic anthology since 2011.
The goal of DIRTY DIAMONDS has been to give the women of comics a dedicated outlet for telling their stories, and artists from around the world have contributed their "semi-autobiographical" comics over the years. Gathering these personal stories has allowed us to highlight both the talents and experiences of women in comics today.
Each of our first five issues were donated to the permanent comics collection at the Library of Congress, with an open invitation for future issues (including Dirty Diamonds #6: BEAUTY!) to also be included.

If you have any questions about DIRTY DIAMONDS or would like to reach the editors about anything whatsoever, feel free to email us at editors(at)dirtydiamonds.net or get in touch with us in any of the following places:

Risks and challenges

Dirty Diamonds previously published its fifth issue, Dirty Diamonds #5: Comics, via Kickstarter with great success. The project exceeded its initial goal and met its first stretch goal, which allowed us to produce the book on schedule, produce/send rewards out to our backers, and pay all of the contributing artists.

With lessons learned from that campaign, we've streamlined and improved our publication schedule. We are confident that we've got the brains and the brass to get this beautiful book out into the world and into your hands.

The biggest risk involved with this campaign is that, if it is not successfully funded, we will be unable to pay our contributors. :(

Note: No part of this Kickstarter's funds will go directly to the editors as profit. All funds have been budgeted into our artist payments and business expenses; any extra funds that are raised will go directly toward the production and distribution of DIRTY DIAMONDS.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $85 or more
About $85

DISTRO PACKAGE - Pre-Order FIVE copies of DIRTY DIAMONDS #6 to sell in your lovely store. Please note: we must confirm that you are a distributor or comic shop before this reward can be delivered. (Want more books? See options below!)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $160 or more
About $160

DISTRO PACKAGE - Pre-Order FIVE copies of both DIRTY DIAMONDS #6 and the DIRTY DIAMONDS Omnibus (#1-4) to sell in your lovely store. Please note: we must confirm that you are a distributor or comic shop before this reward can be delivered. (Want more books? See option below!)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $175 or more
About $175

Contributor Carey Pietsch (Adventure Time: Marceline Gone Adrift) will draw in your copy of DIRTY DIAMONDS #6! You will also receive the rewards in the $125 tier, and you'll be thanked in each of the books.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $200 or more
About $200

DISTRO PACKAGE - Pre-Order FIVE copies of each of the following: DIRTY DIAMONDS #6, the DIRTY DIAMONDS Omnibus (#1-4), and DIRTY DIAMONDS #5: Comics to sell in your lovely store. Please note: we must confirm that you are a distributor or comic shop before this reward can be delivered.